EP 1 498 613 A2 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,189,053, WINKLER & METZGER (commonly assigned with the present application) disclose an arrangement in which, in order to reduce vibrations generated by a fan, the fan is suspended in a mounting frame using a flexible part. This is advantageous in particular when the vibrations generated by the fan can be perceived as irritating, for example when a vehicle seat or items of equipment are being ventilated.
In numerous applications, miniature or subminiature fans having housing dimensions of 20 to 60 mm on a side are used to create such fan arrangements. These fans must often be equipped, in an application-specific manner, with an expanded electronic control and protection system that is necessary for cooling purposes or, in combination with a small heating system, for heating purposes, for example in automobiles, trains, aircraft, control cabinets, switching cabinets, and IT electronics cabinets. In addition, this electronic system can also be designed to operate the fan alternatively for blowing or for suction. Because of the very small dimensions of miniature and subminiature fans, however, the expanded electronic control and protection system usually cannot be arranged, or can be arranged only partly, on the circuit board associated with the fan.